Hamilton woman claims she was propositioned by Uber driver

A Hamilton woman alleges she was sexually propositioned by an Uber driver while she was alone inside a locked vehicle.

He said: Do you want to make some extra money? ... $100 for 10 minutes, $250 for 20,'" said the woman who asked not to be named out of fear.

The driver never explicitly said what the money was for, but she believed it was obvious that it implied sexual acts. After repeatedly asking to be let out, he unlocked the door and she escaped into her home unharmed, she claims.

Hamilton police are investigating. Uber has also removed the driver's access to the app.

What's been described has no place on the Uber app," spokesperson Kayla Whaling said in an emailed statement. The driver's access to the app has been removed and we're investigating the matter."

The woman said she was at a friend's place in the area of Stone Church Road until around 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. She had been drinking and - like many times before - used the Uber app to call for a driver to take her home.

Nothing seemed amiss as she was driven home to east Hamilton. But when they stopped outside her home, she alleges the driver asked her if she wanted to make some extra money."

At first she didn't understand, then she played dumb, then she got mad, the woman recalls. The doors were locked and she said she repeatedly asked him to open the doors.

I said: Let me out of the car.' I kept saying the same thing over and over," she said.

At one point, she recalls him saying he had another call down the road and could circle back if she wanted. She said no and he eventually let her out. Throughout the ordeal, she said the man was calm and never touched her.

Exactly how long the ordeal lasted is not clear. She believes she got to her home around 1:14 a.m. The time stamp on her Uber receipt, seen by The Spectator, for $14.08, said 1:18 a.m. She said she got into her home around 1:33 a.m. and was hysterical. Her husband called police.

The woman claims she tried to contact Uber, including through a critical safety line, but had trouble getting through to anyone. Eventually she spoke with someone the next night and said she was told someone would follow up.

It was only after The Hamilton Spectator contacted Uber that she said she got a call saying the driver's access to the app had been suspended amid an investigation.

The Spectator is not naming the driver, but has seen his profile. The woman said she also flagged another complaint under the driver's reviews where someone alleged he had hit on a 16-year-old girl.

Uber said the critical safety line is available 24-7.

In Ontario, Uber drivers are screened including a criminal-background check and motor vehicle reference check that is repeated annually, Whaling said. In October, Uber also rolled out mandatory sexual assault and misconduct education for drivers in Canada.

The woman who was locked in the Uber was refunded her $14.08. But she said she doesn't feel safe and will never use Uber again. Instead, she's been encouraging friends on social media to use a local taxi service - she said she's switched to Blue Line.

She said she wanted to speak out to raise awareness about concerns she has about safety using ride-hailing apps.

God only knows what would have happened if I could not get out of that car," she said.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com